Want to ski Mt. Rainier...need beta please and maybe a guide/touring partner

[njfreeskier]

So I'm turning 30 in May, and wanted to do something fun to celebrate. I'll be out in Seattle this spring (2nd week in April), and am really interested in doing a ski descent on Rainier. I've been doing a bit of research, but got stuck when my potential touring partners bailed. I guess what I'm asking for is if anyone knows any reasonably priced guiding services or if anyone knows that mountain well and would be willing to guide. I know plenty of the PNW collective have gotten some skiing in on Rainier. I'm not necessarily looking to summit, just to get some good bc skiing in.

Please let me know what info you have. I really appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks!

[HansJob]

PM sent.

[ccwaskier]

Biggest issue with trip planning that time of year is weather. April is typically still full on winter on Rainier, but it could be anything from a blizzard, to sun and corn, to rain and fog. Pro Guiding out of North Bend is good. You could give them a call, tell them what you are interested in and I am sure they will give you some options.

[userA]

2nd week in april will have all the resorts still operating.
the southern resort next to rain dawg runs a nice show all spring.
b

[TyeStick]

Do you have previous glacier travel experience? General mountaineering experience? Any bit of either will go a long ways on a a mountain like Rainier. In the right conditions, Rainier feels like any average tour, on a bad day it feels like hell on earth.

[Peruvian]

You will certainly want avy and glacier travel training & experience that time of year.
If you are not familiar with BIG mountain travel, hire a guide. If you know your way around, the slog up to camp muir is mostly non technical and you get a nice 5000' run back down to Paradise.

[Greydon Clark]

I don't know anything about your skiing, but Mt. St. Helens is much less technical than Rainer. Still weather can be an issue.

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[Mofro261]

The second week in April is very early for Volcano season, expect full on winter as opposed to spring skiing. Still, a ski from Muir to the Bridge will net you a 6K+ run with minimal mountaineering and almost zero crevasse hazzard.

For other Volcanoes like St Helens and Adams, access roads can be problematic until late April/May adding miles to the approach.

[bfree]

x2 on the questions about mountaineering and crevasse experience. Ditto on the weather - early april has probably a 5% chance of reasonable upper mountain weather. Also MRNP prohibits any guided ski descents, so I don't think you'll have any luck on that front. Check out Amar's site http://www.skimountaineer.com/Cascad...p?name=Rainier and perhaps the Rainier Climbing Blog to hammer out goals. Most of all, keep as much flexibility as you can on dates/location and figure out the details when it gets closer.

[Hugh Conway]

You might find these statistics helpful:
http://www.stephabegg.com/home/proje...nierstatistics
April isn't particularly popular of successful for most.

if you don't know someone with a sled, you'll be sucking exhaust fumes approaching Adams.

[skimaxpower]

I don't know anything about your skiing, but Mt. St. Helens is much less technical than Rainer. Still weather can be an issue.

Second the recommendation for St. Helens. It's a challenging climb and an awesome ski, with more oxygen and less death.

[foreal]

FWIW, guided ski mountaineering/ski touring in the park is not allowed. Might be a good call to go on a guided trip (aka no skiing) for your first trek up Rainier if you have no previous mountaineering experience or learn on some of the volcanoes with less hazard.

But, a group skinned up and skied down in sub 4 hrs...so it can't be that dangerous, right;-)